Owners of Indigenous Eats venture into boutique business with newly opened Indigenous Chic in River Park Square

When Jenny Slagle and her husband Andrew opened Indigenous Eats in 2022, she wanted to showcase contemporary Native culture, which includes, and sometimes starts with, food.

The restaurant, which sells fry bread tacos, soups and handheld options like burgers, sandwiches and meat pies, was a hit, and the couple opened a second location in River Park Square the following year.

In 2024, Indigenous Eats was named the fourth-best new restaurant by USA Today readers.

People don’t expect to see a Native restaurant in the food court of a mall, Slagle said, so employees are used to answering questions like “What’s fry bread?” and “What’s an NdN taco?”

Slagle believes there’s a whole spectrum of Native culture and products that non-Native people don’t have access to and is doing something to change that with her newest venture, Indigenous Chic, a boutique that sells clothing, accessories and home decor from Indigenous artists and makers.

Indigenous Chic opened Nov. 1 at River Park Square. The shop is located in Suite 223, across from From Here.

Slagle sees Indigenous Chic as an opportunity to extend the education she and her staff provide at Indigenous Eats. She is a fan of beaded earrings, for example, and has amassed quite the collection over the years. Oftentimes, a non-Native person will compliment a pair she’s wearing then say something along the lines of “I wish I could wear that.”

Slagle then likes to tell the person that they actually can wear Native-made accessories and clothing and talks about appreciation versus appropriation.

“People don’t realize there’s a lot that you can appreciate about Native design and Native clothing and accessories, and it’s not appropriation,” she said. “There’s been a big focus over the years of staying away from cultural appropriation, so yes, of course, don’t wear a headdress, common things like that, but there hasn’t been enough focus on appreciation and making it accessible and OK for everybody to wear these styles.”

Indigenous Chic, which opened at the start of Native American Heritage Month, will offer contemporary clothing, like jeans, jackets and other everyday wear pieces from brands like Ginew, as well as pieces from designers which incorporate elements of Native design, like B.YELLOWTAIL, who adds ribbon detail to dresses and suits.

Slagle will also stock items from Seattle-based Eighth Generation, whose tagline is “Inspired Natives, not Native-inspired.”

She will also have accessories and home decor, like blankets and pillows for sale.

Prior to opening, Slagle had begun looking for a Native-owned bookstore so she could carry works by Native authors. She also plans to feature art from a different artist each month, which shoppers will be able to purchase.

“We’ve got a lot of great Native artists that do a lot of great beadwork, so I’ll make that available, whereas a lot of times, they have to travel, be a vendor at powwows or pop-up events and this will be a place where they could come in, display and sell their artwork as well,” Slagle said.

Slagle said there aren’t yet enough Native clothing brands to sustain a clothing-only store, but she hopes the demand for Native-made and -designed clothing will increase as stores like Indigenous Chic open.

Though she had made big purchases for Indigenous Eats in the past, Slagle was still nervous placing the first big order for Indigenous Chic. “Are people going to buy this?” she remembers thinking. “Am I buying things that I would buy and I’m the only one?”

Even if something wasn’t necessarily her style, Slagle bought things in different colors and styles, knowing people with a variety of tastes would be shopping. But overall, she feels like the store’s inventory speaks to her likes and interests, which she said will build trust between herself and customers.

“I feel like that will go towards people trusting that they can come in here and find something if they know my style as well,” she said.

Slagle sees the 900-square-foot location as a great starter space for Indigenous Chic. The end goal is to one day move the Boone Avenue location of Indigenous Eats to a space that would allow for the restaurant, room for retail and a gathering space where artists can teach classes about, for example, making moccasins or a ribbon skirt.

It’s all part of Slagle’s work to educate non-Natives about Native culture, from the kitchen to the closet.

“Our tagline is going to be ‘Indigenous fashion is for everyone,’ really trying to increase accessibility and visibility,” she said.